Why You Should Travel With Your Boyfriend Before Saying 'I Do'

If you have someone that you think is the one … don't just think let's plan this and make a party and get married. Take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two of you to travel all around the world and go to places that are hard to go to and hard to get out of. And … when you land at JFK and you're still in love with that person, get married. – Bill Murray

There is nothing more important than traveling to a foreign place with your boyfriend before you walk down the aisle.

The realization of wanting to marry someone is probably one of the most intense, most pivotal moments of your entire life. There is no feeling quite like it.

There is nothing particularly unordinary about the day or time you realize your boyfriend is the one. You brush hands while making breakfast, or you notice the way the afternoon light touches his face from the living room, and it just comes over you: a wave of unexpected joy.

You stand there, and you just know, at that moment, this is the man you're going to marry.

Once you have those feelings solidified, it's easy to get wrapped up in the exquisite feelings of intense happiness. But, before you get ahead of yourself, there is something you absolutely must do: travel.

I would never have known my boyfriend was the one without agreeing to a weeklong trip to Austin, Texas. That trip solidified everything for me. If we could survive an extended period of time in a new place, faced with new challenges and experiences together, we could make it in marriage.

You will learn so much about your guy once you've taken a trip with him. You cannot truly understand your SO until you know how he behaves outside of his comfort zone.

You have to travel with your SO before you say "I do." Here's why:

What you do when you travel says so much about you.

When you go on a trip together, you get to witness firsthand the kind of traveler your partner is.

Is he the kind of guy who is going to take you to every authentic restaurant, to look at every amazing view and maximize your experience to the fullest? Or is he the type of travel companion who likes to lie on a beach and completely relax?

You certainly will find out quickly once you travel together. When you go on a trip with your SO, you get a taste of his sense of adventure.

You see how he handles stress.

Inevitably, when you travel, you will encounter a crisis, which means you get to see how your boyfriend reacts under stress.

It can be a huge red flag if he immediately freaks out or shuts down the minute something goes wrong. If he has a meltdown over a missed train or a lost reservation, you get an inside look into future times of crisis.

You need a boyfriend who can stay calm and collected, not go totally bonkers at the first sign of trouble.

You get to make amazing memories.

Some of the best or worst memories you will ever make will be when you travel together. If you're going to travel with the man you want to make your husband, you'll be making memories to carry with you for the rest of your life.

When you're dating your best friend, you should be able to travel together. You will have photos and stories from your adventures that will help shape your relationship.

You get to see how you function together.

Traveling together is the perfect test run for your life together.

You want to marry a partner, not a patron. You want to be with someone who wants to make you happy and who will compromise.

No other time spent together will really show you how the two of you can handle each other in unusual situations quite like traveling. If you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses to make for the best trip possible, you know it's meant to be.

You get to see his true colors.

When you're traveling, you'll get a glimpse into how your boyfriend communicates with others, particularly service professionals like waiters, flight attendants and more.

It's best to know how your SO treats others before you welcome him into your life as your husband. Traveling is a true test of character.

The man you marry should be your favorite travel companion.

If the man you want to marry isn't your favorite person to travel with, isn't that a bad sign?

The man you make your husband should make every single trip more fun, more exciting and more rewarding. If you go on a trip and it makes you even closer and even happier, you know the two of you are meant to be, and you're going to have a fruitful, long-lasting relationship.

Here's to many wonderful trips and memories to come!

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